The scent of warm bread lingered in Star’s nose as she waved goodbye to Siegfried’s parents. Her fingers tightened around the bundle they’d gifted her, and her new star-shaped sword hung gently at her side.

She and Siegfried stepped outside into the morning light, tears still glistening faintly in her eyes. As they neared the village square, the scent of woodsmoke and festival spices drifted on the breeze. Odinshold was alive with motion—villagers stringing lanterns, baking treats, and preparing decorations for the upcoming Odin Festival.

But Star’s mind was elsewhere.

“So, you’re really going back to Eldhaven, Star?”

“Stay just one more week! We’re preparing the Odin Festival, there’ll be so many events you can enjoy.”

“I’m sorry, Auntie,” Star replied gently. “Grandma and Grandpa are already waiting for me at home. Besides, I don’t want to trouble Mr. and Mrs. Schwanstein anymore—they’ve already been so kind to me.”

Suddenly, a young man with red hair pushed through the crowd and rushed toward her.

“Star, you’re ditching me before the festival?” Friedrich asked, pushing through the crowd with his usual dramatic flair, his red hair tousled and his grin wide.

Star turned to him with a sly smile. “Yup. Thought I’d sneak out before you roped me into another pie-eating contest. Besides, I’m pretty sure Grandpa and Grandma are seconds away from sending a search party.”

Friedrich placed a hand over his heart, feigning betrayal. “And here I was, preparing a grand farewell speech.”

Star rolled her eyes. “Let’s not make this a bigger scene than it already is.”

“Then I’ll come with you,” Friedrich said suddenly, his voice light but sincere. “At least until you get home.”

“No need to trouble yourself,” Star replied, though her tone lacked any real protest. “I can handle the road just fine.”

“What are you even talking about?” Friedrich said, stepping beside her. “You’re my friend, Star. And we’re a team, remember?”

Siegfried nodded, already adjusting the strap of his bag. “The more people travel with you, the better. Besides, it’s not like we’re letting you go off alone now.”

Star looked between the two of them, Friedrich’s irrepressible grin, Siegfried’s quiet conviction—and felt a warmth stir in her chest. She tried to look annoyed, but the smile tugging at her lips betrayed her.

“Fine,” she said, playfully exasperated. “But if either of you embarrasses me in front of my grandparents, I’m throwing you to the wolves.”

“Deal,” Friedrich grinned. “Wolves love me.”

Star couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her two friends accompanying her home. She felt lucky to have them, Siegfried and Friedrich by her side, and she felt safe adventuring with them.

The three of them made their way to the main gate and exited the village. Star glanced back once, catching sight of the villagers waving her off with warm smiles. She raised a hand in farewell, her heart full, then turned and stepped into the dense forest.

Mist clung to the ground like breath on glass, and a thick fog began to unfurl through the trees, curling around roots and branches. The trail behind them disappeared, swallowed by the gray.

Star reached out and took Siegfried’s hand. It was a quiet gesture, anchoring her to the present. Up ahead, Friedrich whistled an upbeat tune, kicking aside leaves as though the forest posed no threat at all.

Then the whistling stopped.

Between the trunks, just beyond the curtain of fog, several figures emerged—low to the ground, silent and still.

Wolves.

A dozen of them, fur the color of ash and shadow, eyes glowing faintly like coals in the dusk. They didn’t growl. Didn’t snarl. They only watched, unmoving, unblinking.

Star felt the hair on her arms rise. There was something ancient in their eyes, something that made her heart beat slower, quieter, as if she were standing in the presence of something sacred.

Siegfried followed her gaze. “They’re watching,” he murmured, voice low.

Friedrich didn’t move. “Let them.”

The villagers of Odinshold told stories of wolves like these, spirits of the forest who once fought alongside mortals in the Great War against the Abyss, twelve hundred years ago. Some believed they were guardians left behind by the Aeons. Others whispered that they were Aeons themselves, in borrowed shapes.

But none dared chase them away.

And the wolves, as if satisfied, turned back into the mist. One by one, they vanished into the trees, their eyes the last thing to fade.

Star released a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “They let us pass.”

Siegfried nodded. “They always do. When they choose to.”

Friedrich gave a crooked smile. “Guess that means we’re worth watching.”

Then, with nothing but fog behind them and forest ahead, the three continued south.

After walking for quite a while, the three of them finally emerged from the forest and headed south. Star, Siegfried, and Friedrich chatted along the way, laughing and joking together.

But then, Star suddenly heard a strange noise coming from the bushes. She turned around—but saw no one.

“I think... we’re being followed,” Star whispered to Friedrich.

“HUH?!” Friedrich exclaimed, startled. “Are you sure, Star?”

“Is something wrong?” Siegfried asked, curious.

“There’s something in those bushes,” Star said, pointing toward them.

Siegfried took the initiative to approach the bush that Star had pointed to. He walked cautiously, while Star and Friedrich followed closely behind.

Suddenly, a young girl with soft pink hair, matching eyes, and a bluish dress leapt out at them.

“BOOO!!”

Star gasped and stumbled back.

Who was she?